Rivals
by TellMeDoYouWanna
Summary: It wasn’t that hard really...to just walk up to Yuuki and tap her on the shoulder and demand WHY she wasn’t sitting with HIM, Zero that afternoon after lunch. She wouldn't even lie to him. Besides...just what was so special about that Wakaba girl anyway?
1. Rivals

**ZeroXYuuki** is LOVE!!!! ^_^ GAWD i hope you agree =D ....though i gotta say, this site has a couple of **KanameXYuuki's** that are enough to break your heart. ...

Seriously, though? I do NOT like Yori. Except for that last scene when she told Yuuki that she'd be her friend no matter what blah blah blah....that kinda had me respecting her for like two minutes and then pshaw....idk i just...don't...like her....XP ... though ive tried to tone it down a little here XD ...

And for crying out loud, STOP PAIRING HER UP WITH AIDO!! I THINK THE POOR GUY'S GONE THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! XO

**Disclaimer**: This fic was written with much love for my darling Zero-kun whom I have dreams of marrying and having babies with some day ^_^ ...though i'd probably burst into tears on our wedding day and insist he marry Yuuki, cuz I cannot go through that kinda traumatic shit by pairing him with anyone other than Yuuki...(*or at least in a het relationship....yaoi requests open ;D)

Hope you like it!! Enjoy =D

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Kiryuu Zero was _not _having a good day.

It wasn't that hard really—to just walk up to her and tap her on the shoulder and demand _why_ she wasn't sitting with _him_ that afternoon after lunch break. Yuuki wouldn't even lie to him. She'd just widen those huge, meltingly soft russet eyes of hers, rub the back of her neck shyly, crinkle that small, pretty nose while smiling that huge, bashful Yuuki-grin of hers, and let out a few apologetic giggles. "Ehhh…Zero, _gomen ne? _I'll sit with you now for sure, 'kay?"

And with much uncharacteristic inner squealing at the near-extreme _cuteness_ of it all, Zero would nod shortly, accepting her apology.

But he was a man. And men had their pride—no matter how many times he'd been closing to losing his before her (and, several times, _because_ of her.) Trying his best to dismiss it as something that didn't matter, Zero slumped on the table before him, nestling his head on his folded elbows, trying his hardest not to let his eyes stray towards Yuuki's dark-haired, eagerly bobbing head sitting three tables away from him.

He couldn't—not for long, at least. Hoping that they were at least obscured by his silver bangs, Zero's eyes narrowed as he took in the slight figure of the girl next to Yuuki—that skinny, brown-haired female with the bob-cut, the one with the amber eyes…Wakaba something, she'd been called. _What's so special about _her, _huh?_ He found his eyes narrow into resentful slits. _What's so bad about…about me that Yuuki actually—_

_Bad about me? There's everything bad about me._

Feeling a sudden weight in his chest, Zero slumped down onto his desk again, staring fiercely onto the swirls and patterns of the wooden surface beneath his face.

Today had actually started off as pretty well—none of those terrible, choking sensations clamping his gut and spreading in white-hot tendrils throughout his body, throat parched and desert-like, whenever he looked at Yuuki…hell, he hadn't even had one of those…those _dreams_ that night—sleeping peacefully—without those unusually vivid, explicit dreams he often had of him…and her…_stop it. It's a good day today. Goddamn you, it's a good day! Don't spoil it!  
_  
Yes, it was turning out to be a good day. A VERY good day, in fact. Yuuki had sat next to _him_ that morning…well, she didn't usually ever sit anywhere else—and Zero pleased himself with the idea that she actually _liked_ sitting next to him…even though, in hindsight, it wasn't really an idea he thought as possible. What could she possibly likeabout _him?_ Him, Kiryuu Zero—grumpy, moody, sullen, bad-tempered, irritable…nothing like that damn pureblood…

But Yuuki still sat next to him. Yuuki still smacked him over the head with her textbook to wake him up—sometimes, on the _really_ good days, with her warm, tiny hand. Yuuki still often reached out—without quite knowing it—to push away a strand of silver hair that would fall into his eyes—supremely unaware of the hint of red that would color his pale cheeks at the touch.

He'd always act as though her presence near him was a hindrance—something to be tolerated, nothing more.

He'd never even look at her when she sat next to him…though he'd never let her notice how much he loved gazing at her throughout class, silver bangs hiding his eyes.

He'd only glare, rub the offending spot where her textbook (or hand) had struck, shrug his shoulders, slump back (all the while fighting to keep his eyes open) and mumble a "Jeez, Yuuki…" when she woke him up…though he'd never let her notice how his fingers lingered over the spot where her hand would hit him, savoring her warmth.

He'd always pull away with a "Tch!" of seeming irritation when her hand brushed away the strand of hair…but it was only because her touch upon his bare skin caused nothing short of a hormonal havoc inside him that immediately sent half the blood in his body to pool at his groin—at times, growing uncomfortably hard in his pants, often having to excuse himself from the classroom to relieve himself in the toilet. By now, Kiryuu Zero was an expert at walking down the hallways of Kurosu Gakuen towards the toilet, with a partial-erection and looking normal at the same time—all because Kurosu Yuuki had brushed her fingers along his right temple and cheek, down to his neck.

But today…today, right after lunch break—which, being the VERY GOOD DAY that it was, had him sitting with Yuuki in a secluded little spot overlooking the lake, eating their sandwiches in a companionable silence—the sensei had walked in with a new student. A certain Wakaba Sayori.

Zero felt his fists clench beneath the desk, feeling a frown beginning to tug against his forehead once more. _Goddamn it, it was supposed to be a _good _day today! _he'd thought fiercely. _But nooooo…that…that…Wakaba chick…_

He felt his eyes turn towards them again—ears pricking at the sound of Yuuki's sweet laughter, feeling his nails dig furiously into his palms, even though his face remained impassive. The Wakaba girl had said something funny…or at least, something that Yuuki must have found funny—which wasn't saying a lot, really…Yuuki found almost anything and everything worth laughing at—but…_ahhhh, that's just not the point!_ Zero felt his frown beginning to deepen, finally accepting what he was actually pissed about. _Why'd she ditch _me,_ huh? Why'd she ditch me for that…for that…_he squinted at the Wakaba girl, wondering what made _her_ so special in Yuuki's eyes.

Thin, pale-skinned, soft-spoken…nothing special. Transferred from Shimako High in Kyoto, probably a scholarship student who'd while away her entire evening with her nose buried in a book. Not especially pretty, not especially ugly. Hair a very ordinary brown, eyes a very commonplace…well, they were brown too—just a hint darker than her hair…holding none of Yuuki's warmth, none of Yuuki's kindness…merely calm, level-gazed—perhaps a hint of curiosity, no more. _Nothing like Yuuki. She's nothing like my Yuuki._

It was only a moment later that he wondered why he wasn't instantly denying the _my_ that had unconsciously cropped up before _Yuuki._

Zero didn't even know the girl, but she'd already made him her enemy.

Her voice—he'd been only slightly glad to notice—wasn't as high-pitched and squeaky as the other Day Class girls…or maybe that was really pushing it—maybe it _was_ as high-pitched and squeaky…just not that _loud._ It'd be a relief, really…having one less shrill scream pounding into his ears during class changeover, when the Night Class students emerged from their dorms.

The mere thought made his eyes narrow, wondering if she'd be one of those hopeless, squealing, love-struck fangirls—shrieking, "IDOL-SENPAI, I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES!" right into his ears during class changeover. Oh, wouldn't he just _love_ to…ahem…put her in her place then…

Though it might make Yuuki annoyed at him later…Zero frowned, watching the female prefect's dark russet head throw back with laughter, pale cheeks now rosy with mirth. It warmed his heart for a moment—a tender, longing ache—but he stifled it quickly, turning the slight smile that had tugged a corner of his lips turn quickly into his customary frown. Kiryuu Zero's smiles were as rare a sight as his glares were common, and only for Kurosu Yuuki would they ever have reason to find place on his face.

He felt the glare deepen as he remembered. Within moments of the sensei introducing her to the class, within moments of that Wakaba female bowing and murmuring a polite _"Yorishku onnegaishimasu-" _Yuuki had shot up on her seat as though there were hot coals beneath her skirt, hand shooting into the air, "_Hai,_ sensei!" when the teacher had requested that one of the prefects undertake the job of showing the new girl around.

Zero had rolled his eyes at that. Even had Yuuki not taken the job with such alacrity, he doubted he'd have laid any claim on it. His own life had been messed up enough.

But _Yuuki_…well, it shouldn't have surprised him, really—seeing the way she'd half leapt out of her chair to half-run, half-walk towards the rather astonished-looking new girl, taking her hands eagerly into her own and shaking them enthusiastically. _"Hajimemashte! _Kurosu Yuuki_ desu!_ I'll be your new guide now!" Despite everything, despite their friendship, despite the loving depth with which Zero cared for her…he knew that Yuuki was lonely. Their jobs as prefects gave them both privileges that the other students couldn't even hope to have for themselves—such as their close proximity to the Night Class—and he knew how this must have alienated her from the other girls, all of whom were the biggest fans of the Night Class students.

And while Zero mostly kept to himself in the male dorms, it wasn't really that hard getting along with the other guys—even for him—and on good days, he'd even accept their invitation of joining them for a couple of (sneaked in) beers in Kamiya-senpai's room. They shared his dislike for the Night Class, though for entirely different reasons—claiming that out of the entire Day Class male population, only around ten guys had girlfriends—and Zero had been surprised to find out that his male classmates actually admired him for his no-nonsense attitude before "them Night Class bastards". "I-I feel m-much s-safer in th-this sch-school now, Kiryuu-senpai!" one of his kouhais, a skinny, bespectacled and very obviously gay kid called Yamamoto had stammered, reddening furiously beneath Zero's single raised silver brow. "Th-those N-Night Class b-bastards d-don't stand a ch-chance if w-we got you

Zero had roared with derisive hilarity at that, astonishing the other guys for a moment—they'd long thought Kiryuu Zero incapable of laughing out so damn _loudly_—though they joined him soon after, even when he took to his feet, tottering wildly, finger pointing into the air as he slurred—"Kuran-_hic_-Kaname…ish a-_hic…_SHTINKING PUSSHY!"

Often the nights would end up with a thousand drunken insults (and darts) being hurled at their least favored Night Class member—of whom Aido Hanabusa was the most called-for, a picture of the grinning blonde playboy vampire pinned against the wall, surrounded by a halo of missed darts.

And then there'd come those talks…of the Night Class women—Zero would add in, loudly and boisterously, only if he was really, really, really, really, really, _really_ drunk—"Th-that-_hic_-T-Touya chick looks like-_hic_-something out of a-_hic_-porn movie, eh? Hahaha…_hic-_"—even though he'd schooled his tongue into never letting slip what they really were. He'd also never really understood why Yamamoto had burst into tears when he'd once let slip that he'd caught a flash of something black and lacy beneath Souen Ruka's skirt that one particularly windy day, while on prefect duty.

Through all of this, he'd gradually formed a grudging acceptance of the Day Class guys (while they'd grown to, quite literally, hero-worship him in return­) and while they, by unspoken agreement, gave him his space, it made life in the male half of the Sun dorms a little easier for him.

_But Yuuki_…he wondered what she must have gone through. Girls were possessive bitches when it came to things like this, and the thought of his poor best friend (_HIS_ _best friend…no one else's_—he'd often told himself in a flare of protective anger…even despite the fact that he'd proved himself a very _bad_ best friend when it came to her…) having to defend herself against scores of angry girls all rounding on her only because their precious Kaname-senpai had stroked her cheek and murmured something soft to her during class changeover, or because Aido-senpai had wrapped his arms around her that time (causing Zero to nearly pull out his Bloody Rose on him…as if dealing with Kuran wasn't enough!) pressing a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek…it filled him at once with anger—both at the girls as well as the Night Class bastards…it filled him at once with a natural rush of protective possessiveness he'd accustomed himself to knowing would occur only with _her…_it filled him at once with a slight hurt—filled with a sudden ache at what he saw to be his own inadequacy.

And then there were _those_ moments…_those_ moments that Zero would find his mind at an utter blank, unable to have understood a word of what Yuuki had said—schooling his features into their usual bored annoyance—while inside him, his brain was working furiously to understand what she had just said. _Female hormones? What am I thinking of when my brows furrow like…what?! Not quite love, not quite fascination, not quite crush? Aquamarine flip-flops? Maroon halter-necks? Puppies? No, Yuuki—you're not fat! No, I LOVE IT when you ask me to go shopping with you! No, I do NOT find you irritating! Well, yeah…I do SOMETIMES, but AAAH! I'm half in love with you, woman! YES, I think you're beautiful…and definitely more beautiful than that cover girl on that stupid magazine. And goddamn it, one zit doesn't matter—I can barely see it! Okay, what the FUCK? _**_  
**

Yuuki would merely sigh at his half-hearted mumbling—completely oblivious to the sensory overload Zero was currently suffering, wondering when his sweet, innocent Yuuki's simple, childlike nature had suddenly taken such a hideously complex, _womanly_ turn—brows drawing down in frustration, eyes turning away, lips pressed into a fine line. "You just don't…you just don't _understand,_ Zero…"

The hurt would return then…flaring sharply, achingly in his chest—making his eyes widen for a moment, narrowing at the corners in pain, lips parting with stunned bewilderment…though in a moment, he'd have replaced it with the usual sullen glare, the brooding shadows returning to his eyes, descending once into his glowering silence, which was enough to terrify any of the Day Class girls into toeing the line during class changeover.

But even this, he could put up with…as long as Yuuki decided to stay by his side.

After all, she was _his_ best friend…right? She was _his_ sole companion…right? Of course she was. Of course she'd always come back to _him._ Of course she'd never let some skinny, ordinary scholarship student called Wakaba-something take that away from him…"REALLY? I think so too! Yori-chan, I think you and I are going to be best friends!"

_Thwack. _Strike one.

_Wh…WHAT?!_

He was gripped with a sudden numbing sensation—icy, frigid, grasping him with a sudden vice-like ferocity…something like a baseball bat to the face. Horse-hoof to the gut. Bullet wound to the skull. Dagger to the heart. His brain was suddenly reduced to a fool's sluggish capacity, piecing together words and connotations with a slowness that betrayed the extent to which his ears stubbornly refused to let the words through.

_Y…YORI? Yori-CHAN? Wh…what the fu—_

"_Ne,_ Yuuki-chan—you like parfait, right?" _Pitcher in position. Cool. Calm. Infinitely collected._

_Bitch._

"Parfait? I LOVE parfait! Especially with extra chocolate!" _Eager spectator._ _A few imaginary_ "_Kyaaaaaaa!"s. Wild fangirling._

_Ditcher!_

"Well, me and my friend back home in Kyoto used to go for parfaits every day after school…I figured you might wanna go with me today?" _Small smile, head tilted slightly to the side…what was it they used to call this form of persuasion? 'Lovely' something? 'Lovely' transformation? WTF?_

_Hmm…gotta practice how to do _that_ one…it might actually get her to…_

_Okay, what the FUCK?! _**_**

Yuuki nearly suffered a bust vein in her eagerness of response—"Of COURSE, Yori-chan! I'll…I'll…of course I'll come!" =D

_Thwack. _Strike two. Hot-coal poker stuffed into stomach, yanking out innards. Boiling oil poured into gaping hole in chest. Thumbscrews. Iron-maiden. Rack machine, more like.

_She'd promised she'd help him in the stables today._

"Hah…" a short, abrupt expulsion of breath, hand clutching at chest—a motion he'd usually find himself doing whenever those…fits would come onto him. Those cold, choking sensations clamping his gut, parching his chest with an agony powerful enough to make him scream. Was it so different to what he was feeling now? _Hah. I…I…god…damn it…_

_She'd…she'd promised…she'd promised him…_

"…looks really cute on you, Yuuki-chan~" ^_^

"_Rea~lly_, Yori-chan? Uwaaa—you have one too! You should wear it more often, Yori-chan~" =D

"Yes…we get these at Kyoto too. I'll get some back for you, Yuuki-chan~" ^_^

Zero felt his brow drag down until he was sure the frown was covering his eyes. _Bribery. Pure bribery. =.=  
_

"_Ne_, Yori-chan—do you have a lot of brothers and sisters?" =D

"I have three _oniisans_…can you believe that, Yuuki-chan?" XP

"Uwaaa! THREE? I have only one!" XO

"_Rea~lly?_ Does he study here, Yuuki-chan?" ;D

"Yes he does…but that's not important, Yori-chan—tell me about your _oniisans_!" =D

Zero felt his head snap up, gaze fixed onto Yuuki—hurt exploding in his chest. _Not important? Not…important? He…he wasn't…that…important to her?  
_

And despite everything…despite his feelings towards her being far from platonic or even big-brotherly…she still saw him as a brother? As only a _brother?_ Nothing…nothing more? He'd heard the words. He'd HEARD the words, falling from her lips. Goddamn it, he'd even _seen_ it.

_Yes he does, but that's not important…that's not important… that's not important… that's not important…that's not important…_it kept playing again and again in his head like a broken radio, making his teeth clench, the sudden agonizing weight in his chest making his eyes burn suddenly.

So now he was an afterthought? After nearly three years…after nearly three years of their having lived together as a family…he meant nothing to her? _Nothing?_

"…like any of the guys here, Yuuki-chan?" ;D

_Oh. SHIT._ The million-dollar question. Zero's head snapped up again—glaring openly, heatedly at the Wakaba chick, hurt suddenly replaced with foreboding, his gaze so furious that a couple of girls sitting nearby had begun to stare at him nervously. _Don't you…don't you fucking dare—_

Yuuki had begun to blush as though every cell in her body was pumping blood into her cheeks, flushed and fidgeting wildly. "Y-yes," she whispered, eyes fixed resolutely to the shoelaces of her boots.

_"Yori-chan"_ was looking curious, leaning forward. "Well, who is it, Yuuki-chan?" she whispered in a conspiratorial manner, gaze roving around the classroom as though the one Yuuki spoke of were sitting in there with them.

Zero relaxed perhaps an inch. Kuran should be…er—_sleeping_ right now or something, right? Far, far away in the Moon dorms. Despite the twinge of hurt it caused within him, it also brought him a slight satisfaction. At least _here_ he didn't have to worry about Yuuki liking anyone aside from that pureblood…

What then he saw hit him like a knife in the gut.

Yuuki's eyes had widened at the other girl's movements—tugging onto her companion's sleeve and pulling her down to the desk. "Yori-chan, _mitanaide!_ He'll…he'll see you looking!"

_Thwack. _Strike three. Sudden, instantaneous death. Cold, cruel, raw, inexplicable agony. The final nail in the coffin. The final lash of leather whip striking bone.

_Yuuki…Yuuki liked someone else?_

_Someone…other than Kuran?_

_Someone…someone in the _Day Class?

_Someone…else? _

Zero suddenly fell back against the seat, feeling as though every bone in his body was being ruthlessly, mercilessly torn through his flesh. It felt like chewing and swallowing bits of broken glass, head pounding with the sudden agony exploding in his chest and in the pit of his skull, making his teeth clench at the sudden pain. _Yuuki…liked…someone…else?_

_Who was it? Which one of that endless line of commonplace _humans_ was she in love with? Who was it? _Who was it? _After all these years of loving Kuran Kaname…she had found a lesser being in the Day Class to fall in love with?_

_Someone who wasn't…him, Kiryuu Zero?_

_  
_"Hah…"

_Get a fucking grip. She'll never love you. Ever. Get it outta your head. It's not you. It's not you._

_He could have put up with Yuuki loving Kuran. It was expected that she love him—her savior…something he would never truly accustom himself to—if accepting it, albeit slightly. Of all the people, the pureblood would be the one who could truly protect her more than anyone else—and only because of this…only because of this, Zero accepted her love for him._

_No matter how much it broke his heart to know it._

_But now…now, Yuuki…loved someone else? _

_Yuuki…loved…someone…else?_

The entire class descended into silence as Kiryuu Zero pushed away from his desk—the single motion holding to it a violence that nearly toppled it over, striding out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him. The vehemence with which he'd wrenched it open had half torn it off its protesting hinges, the slam as he pushed it behind him as he left echoed slightly in the silenced classroom. No one so much as moved.

An entire minute had passed before Yuuki took to her feet—"I'll see you in a bit, okay, Yori-chan?"—before striding purposefully in the direction Zero had left, gaining more than just a few admiring gazes in her wake. Not many of the Day Class would ever so much as even dare to _look_ at the silver-haired male prefect when he was in a foul temper.

But not Yuuki.

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Reviews are love =D ... spread em, spread em, im open!! XD

Hope you liked it so far ^_^


	2. Understanding

Chapter II here ... hope you liked chapter I so far.....i jis got really really random there XP.....

sorry bout the slight angsting there......its one of the...ahem ;D .... many things that Zero ... does ... really ... damn ... good ....(*fans herself from Zero's utter emo-boy HAWTNESS XD)

Enjoy!! ^_^

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It was a long while, just a little past half an hour, until Yuuki finally found him—searching half-over the campus, in different classrooms, in the stables (steadfastly ignoring White Lily's threatening snorts in her direction), even taking a very quick peek into the boy's bathrooms on every floor, and emerging blushing furiously from each. _That Zero…_he really just _had _to know how to hide himself that well, did he? She'd show him…

She was surprised to find him standing beneath that little tree they'd eaten their lunch beneath, that little spot overlooking the lake—hands in pockets, silver hair swirling in the breeze, eyes fixed in a blank, steely gaze at the sunlit waters beneath them. For a long moment, Yuuki merely stood there—gazing at his tall, black-clad frame, wondering if she should near him…when instinct took over, causing her to silently climb the hill, walking quietly over to where he stood.

Zero did not look up as she neared him.

Or at least, he tried not to. Something about him—perhaps the unnatural rigidity of his posture—spoke that he wanted very much to turn towards her, and the tense line to his jaw was enough by itself. Yuuki braced herself, expecting a verbal lashing any moment. He'd certainly had some time to cool down since he'd stormed away angrily from the classroom…but something told her that things weren't good as of yet.

Only…none came. Zero's eyes, when he turned to look at her, were dulled, resigned—a blank shadow of his usual glare. The corners of his lips were slack now—no longer thinned with rage, shoulders drooping suddenly—his eyes had lowered away suddenly, as if unable to look at her any longer. "What do you want, Yuuki?" Zero murmured, turning away—the single motion holding to it a distressing hopelessness that tore at her far worse than any raging or storming.

_That…voice…_

Yuuki felt a tremor rack her frame, hugging her arms to herself as she remembered that voice—that low, broken tremble as he spoke…the voice of that boy she had nursed back to health when he had entered her life—his own now awash with violent red, torn apart in a bloody cycle of hatred and violence that she had wept to know she could not save him from. What now she saw before her was no different to the Zero she had wiped the blood off of…the Zero she had stopped from tearing his own neck to shreds…the Zero who would tremble in her arms as his soft, choked, fury-wracked tears dampened the front of her nightgown…"Why are you looking at me like that, Zero?" Yuuki asked softly. "Is it something _I've_ done?"

He answered her with a low short bark of humorless laughter. It sounded more like a sob. "What makes you think it's got anything to do with _you?_"

Yuuki fidgeted, hands grasping the sleeves of her jacket. "Well, you're not…you know…looking at me or anything," she hedged lamely. "And you're…you're…" Yuuki bit her lip, beginning to feel stupid—until finally exploding. "You're acting really weird, Zero! I don't know what's gotten into you these past few months, but I don't understand why you won't ever talk to me about it!"

Zero's features contorted for but a moment—before he dug his hands even deeper into his pockets, turning away from her. "I don't need to talk to you about it, Yuuki. Besides…" a hint of bitterness crept into his tone. "You can just go to _Yori-chan_ and tell her all about your problems with me, can't you?"

Yuuki's brows furrowed. "_Yori-chan?_ Who's _Yori-ch_…" then suddenly remembering, she let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her hands into the air. "Zero, you're so silly! Why would I talk to someone else about _your _problems, huh? That's not what friends do…"

_Friends…_there, she'd said it. Toying with him again. Laughing at him. Playing with his heart so cruelly, so unintentionally—causing it to tighten with hurt one moment and slacken with relief the next…"Don't fuck with me!" Zero bit out angrily, curling his fingers into fists inside his pockets. "I…I heard what you said back there, okay?" He turned away from her completely now, the broad, black-clad length of his back holding to it a lonely distance that tore at her. "You don't have to take anything back, Yuuki—I…I know it's what you've always…always…" he couldn't find it within himself to complete the sentence, misery racking his gut—sharper now, more painful now with her nearness.

Yuuki took a hesitant step towards him, and then back. "You heard…what?" she asked softly. "What did you hear me say, Zero?"

He could not answer for a long while, shoulders slackening slightly as his head bowed, teeth clenching against the sudden rush of warmth in his throat that threatened to emit from his lips as a sob, fighting back the humiliating tears with all the strength his heart could muster. "Leave me, Yuuki…" Zero whispered, hands finally falling out of his pockets. "Please…just…just leave me alone. Please."

_Those…hands…_

Yuuki stopped short, dead at her tracks, heart clenching at the drops of blood spilling from his split knuckles—he had struck something with force enough to draw blood…the limp manner his fingers were lying were statement enough.

She realized suddenly the presence of those few pieces of drying tree-bark lying at his feet.

_Z-Zero…?  
_  
Her throat was suddenly dry, tears rising in her eyes as she walked towards him—thought, logic, rationality suddenly fading as she suddenly, impulsively closed her arms around his waist, burying her head into his back. Zero's back was warm…Zero's back was solid, reassuring…an infinite comfort.

He'd stiffened for but a moment before relaxing against her touch…trembling now—only very slightly, but trembling nonetheless. "Yuuki…" Zero whispered, head bowing. She realized then how much easier it was for him now that he was no longer looking at her.

Slowly, haltingly…one of his broken, bleeding hands reached up to clutch against her arm, raising her tiny wrist it until it lay against his heart, his own large, warm palm resting over it. His fingers were long, tapering—but strong, calloused…hands that had known hardship, suffering. Zero's hands. Zero's hands, nestling over her own…warm, infinitely comforting. "Yuuki…"

She nuzzled her head against his back, curling her arms a little tighter over his waist, resisting the urge to cry softly into the sturdy warmth of his back. He wouldn't even mind…but he'd probably hold it as blackmail material later. "You haven't answered my question, Zero," Yuuki whispered.

Zero sighed, a long, shuddering sigh that quivered strangely at the end as though he too were holding back tears. "You said…you said I didn't matter to you anymore," his voice emerged broken, trembling—holding to it a soft, dreamlike quality that she had only ever heard when he was talking in his sleep…which, admittedly, he did a lot sometimes. "That I…that I wasn't important to you. That you…that you…" his voice trailed away with hurt. "That you said that Wakaba girl was…was…"

…_your best friend…_the words—childishly possessive as they were—melted in the air between them—unvoiced, unspoken. Understood.

As eternally fucked as his life was…it had meant more than anything else in the world to Zero that he be the only one in Yuuki's heart to be looked upon this way.

She sighed, closing her eyes, pressing herself a little tighter against him—making him tremble for a moment—but stifling the tiny flare of arousal that had flickered within him, Zero pulled away gently, turning around towards her. Yuuki's head was bowed, dark hair obscuring her face. She was trembling.

Sighing softly, he pulled her into his arms, resting his head between the curve of her neck and shoulder—inhaling deeply and feeling his body relax instinctively, reflexively against her own, knowing no greater comfort, no greater solace than the mere warmth of Yuuki's arms. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "It's just I…I wanted…I wanted to be…" _…the only one…_

She seemed to have heard his words, for there was a rueful smile on her face as Yuuki shook her head, arms curling over his back. "_I'm_ sorry, Zero," she whispered. "I…I only said that to Yori-chan because I'm…I'm…" taking a deep breath, she plunged on—intent on hiding nothing from him. "I'm not very good at making friends…you know that, don't you, Zero? Before I met Yori-chan…I…I only had you. And…and I thought that you didn't want…that you didn't want to be friends with me because…because…" her voice trailed away a little lamely.

"Because what?" Zero demanded, trying and failing to keep the indignant disbelief from his voice. He did not move from his position, knowing that what next Yuuki would have to reveal to him would require more courage than anything he himself could ever come up with.

He didn't have to look at her to sense the color reddening her cheeks. Blushing furiously, Yuuki mumbled something incoherent against his chest, burrowing into the comforting warmth of his school shirt.

Despite the lingering pain at the question within him that he still hadn't asked her, Zero felt a tug at his lips. "I don't think I heard you, Yuuki…" he murmured, a teasing hint to his voice.

Yuuki glared at him, so red now that he was sure he could sense the smoke emitting from her tiny ears. "It's…it's because…well—you're a _boy!_" she spluttered finally, glowering up at him. "And I'm a…I'm a…" her eyes lowered, a long sigh escaping her. "I'm just…I—I feel like a complete idiot whenever I'm with you, you know, Zero? I feel like I…like I don't understand the way you're thinking and that…and that I'm just annoying you with how stupid I am about everything…" her voice had begun to tremble slightly. "That's why I thought that…that if I became friends with…with Yori-chan, I wouldn't have to…to depend on _you_ so much…" her eyes raised towards him…soft, loving, uncertain. "That's right, Zero. You know how much I depend on you? I…I don't think I'd be able to get through the day if you didn't scold me once—or…or acted all annoyed whenever I tried to touch your hair or…or something like that." Her eyes softened with fondness at a memory before closing again—as though it would make it easier for her to speak her next words. "That's why I…I thought that if…that if I became friends with somebody else, I wouldn't have to…to annoy you all the time…"

The trembling, hopeless quiver of breath at the end of her words betrayed both the relief and the pain it brought her to finally relieve herself of her burden.

Zero had frozen, thunderstruck—shocked into a speechless silence. All this time…all this time…_he'd_ been the one to hurt Yuuki? All this time, he'd thought himself to have gone through hell…and hadn't even spared _her_ a thought? All this time…all this time, she had thought that he didn't need her in his life? That he didn't care about her? That he didn't care…about _her?_

"Why would you ever think that?" he choked out, feeling the ache in his heart now beginning to _hurt_. "Why, Yuuki? Why would you _ever_ think I…I didn't care for you? Why? _Why?"_ He tightened his arms around her, clinging desperately to her warmth, now unable to stop the choked, despairing intensity from leaking through his voice. "I…I thought _you_ didn't want _me_ with you anymore—I…I…_FUCK!_"

He swore, doubling over slightly as Yuuki's knee nudged into his groin—not…well, not exactly _painfully_, but with force enough to cause him a momentary spasm of pain. Glaring up at her now, Zero clutched at his belly—wheezing and spluttering, though more so out of astonishment. "Yuuki, what the _hell?"  
_  
She smiled tremulously, lashes still wet and spiky with tears. "That sounds more like you, Zero…" she murmured. Her hand reached out, capturing the moisture that had been glistening at his cheeks. "_You_ were crying?" Yuuki's eyes teared up slightly, though the smile remained. "I guess I actually do mean _something _to you then…_ne,_ Zero?"

Her words were a physical blow, gut reeling with the intensity of a plunged dagger. _Something…something…just something? Just…something?_

_You've lost your mind, Yuuki._

_You're more than just…something. Yeah…definitely more._

_I care more for your love than I care for whether this life of mine will ever be the same again._

_I know what I might become one day. I could have lived an entire life as a monster and died at a Hunter's bullet, without knowing of you…without loving you._

_But to have known you and to have loved you as well…I wouldn't trade you even for my humanity, Yuuki._

_You're more to me than anyone else in this world…_

_You're…you're…_

This time, Zero snapped.

That familiar "Hah…" of sharp, expelled breath escaped his lips again as he fell to his knees—arms wrapping around her thighs, pulling her forward until his face was burrowing into her belly, an uncontrollable trembling beginning to overcome his limbs at her words, feeling the warm cloth of her jacket warming and moistening with choked, unsuppressed sobs. _You're my everything, Yuuki…_something within him wept—wanting to scream the words…wanting so deeply to break down and confess to her that very moment…that very instant. _You mean more to me than anyone else in this world and no one…_no one,_ could ever replace you in my heart…_

_It doesn't matter if I can't be anything more to you than just a brother…or even a friend. As long as you let me stay by your side, I'll…I'll never leave you. I promise._

_I love you, Yuuki. More than anyone or anything else in this world…I love you._

It was a long, long while before his emotions subsided slightly—swiping a hand furiously over his cheeks at this humiliating revelation, swearing inwardly that he would never let her see him cry again—blinking several times to clear his eyes of the tears. "I'm…sorry," Zero had to gulp several times to swallow back the lump in his throat, still on his knees before her. "I'm…I…Yuuki…"

Yuuki let out a strange sound—caught somewhere between a sigh of relief, a snort of exasperation, a sob and a giggle—stepping forward and folding her arms around his neck, pulling him towards her and cradling him against her chest…just the way she'd hold him whenever he'd wake up from a nightmare, rocking him gently, murmuring soft words of comfort. A low groan resounded from Zero's throat—wrapping his arms around her waist, breathing now no longer ragged and labored, slowly returning to normal. "It's okay, Zero…" Yuuki's voice was soft, loving—he clung to it with the desperation of a dying man, tightening his arms around her. "I may be annoying and silly and…and like a total baby, but I…I…"

"Yuuki?"

"…and…and may speak really, really silly things…and…and never be able to get good grades in Math-"

"Yuuki…"

"…and always…always fawn over Kaname-senpai and the other Night Class students…"

"Yuuki?"

"…always make you carry everything when we go shopping…and…and—_what is it,_ Zero?!"

Zero immediately buried his face into her belly again, arms tightening over her stomach as though afraid she'd pull away. His voice, when he spoke, was muffled.

"I'll admit you _are_ all those things, Yuuki…"

:O Yuuki gasped, mouth falling open with indignation, (_He was supposed to make her feel better! That Zero…!)_ hand lifting to whack him across the head—

"…though it's never stopped me from loving you exactly the way you are. You know that…right?"

_Huh?_

Astonishment was a sweet wind blowing across the field, engulfing her, warming her as the hand that had lifted to hit Zero now merely weakened, falling to rest softly on his silver hair, fingers curling and stroking him with a tenderness that suddenly made his insides melt. "Well…" Yuuki mumbled, feeling suddenly very stupid again. She was now blushing furiously, from the tips of her ears to her neck. "You're…you're not so bad yourself…"

Against her belly, she could feel the curve of his lips smile. It was a comforting sensation, and for long moments, Yuuki wanted no more than to merely stand there in the warm sunlight, the sound of the birds chirping, the leaves raining in a green-gold heaven around them in the sudden cool breeze…Zero's arms wrapped around her tummy…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled voice. "Yuuki?"

She did not open her eyes, leaning back, smiling against the warm sunlight on her face. "Hmm?"

Zero's face had nuzzled a little closer into her stomach, head tilting up to look at her. "Who's the guy you like from the Day Class?"

Somewhere, a little distance away, a bird chirping by the trees took off with a squawk of fright as the air suddenly filled with Yuuki's shrieks and punches raining down on the male prefect—"Zero, you are just so_ damn DENSE!"_

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I hope to high heaven i didnt make this tooooo angsty....cuz its supposed to be romance/friendship.....not..._really_...angst!!! :O

Poor Zero...gaaaahhh if i had the chance i'd lock us both up in a room full of chocolate where we would generally sit and whine and moan and bitch and just GROW FAT XD (*omg....i CANNOT think of Zero as fat!!! XO)

Reviews are, again, LOVE!!! IN ITS MOST PURE, UNADULTERATED FORM!! XD ... ahh im hyper lol ... hope you liked it! ^_^


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